When Hatebreed announces a new record, you know what to expect; a one-way ticket to mosh city. Weight of the False Self blends Hatebreed’s signature tone, along with the essence of modern-day relevance. The band did not disappoint and has delivered a record with tremendous replay value. With every riff, song, or record, the band brings the same high-leveled intensity they’ve been laying out for the past 25 years. As frontman Jamey Jasta would say, “This shit is haaaaard.”
Due to the nuisance of daylight savings, I found myself wrestling with time in an attempt to rake my yard before the night sky consumed daylight. I found Weight of the False Self to be the perfect album to take my raking game to the next level. With Jasta screaming his trademark PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) lyrics deep in my ear, no pile of leaves could stand in my way.
Joking aside, this album is incredible from start to finish, with no filler along the way. Every track is stellar and gets your fist clenched and your adrenaline pumping. Guitarists Frank Novinec and Wayne Lozinak drop such heavy, brooding riffs that they would even make the “impress-me-bros” bang their heads. With the drought of live shows, you’ll inadvertently destroy your living room while listening to this twelve-track onslaught.
As mentioned before, the lyrics are great, and the positive and uplifting messages are an integral part of each song’s dynamic impact. Jasta is the metal community’s life coach, and every seminar has this album as its soundtrack. The lyrics are responsive and engaging because they tackle personal demons that we’ve experienced at least once at some point in our lives.
Every Hatebreed record has that one song with that extremely catchy chorus, and, for this record, it’s the title track. The opening lyrics, “If you want to make a difference in the world, it means you have to be different from the world you see,” is very similar to their iconic, “I Will Be Heard” or “In Ashes They Shall Reap.” Almost every song on the record has a catchy chorus, but the self-titled track had me dusting off my weights and ready to lift. It also has lyrics that I will now constantly say to my friends, “Never let your lows steal your heights.” Whenever shows return, I can picture fans fiercely shouting the lyrics as soon as they hear the guitar’s familiar ringing intro.
Hatebreed also dabbled with different musical influences on several tracks. Songs such as “Invoking Dominance” exhibit a stylistic instrumental change that shows the band does not shy away from bolstering their sound. The guitar tone in the intro caught my interest and gave me a Chuck Schuldiner Death-vibe. The song also acts as the perfect album-closer because it leaves you yearning for more.
This is an album that warrants to be heard live, and hopefully, concerts will return soon. As my podcast buddy would say, this album is “Banger Approved.” You’ll be seeing Weight of the False Self in my Top 5 albums of 2020.
Grab your copy of Weight of the False Self here!
